Analysis of "A Raisin In the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry

Essay by Laska_pl April 2007

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"A Raisin In The Sun" is a play written by an African-Americanplaywright - Lorraine Hansberry. It was first produced in 1959. LorraineHansberry's work is about a black family in the Chicago's South-Side afterthe Second World War. The family consisted of Mama(Lena Younger), WalterLee(her son), Ruth (his wife), Travis (their son), and Beneatha (Waltersyounger sister). The Younger family lived in poor conditions, and can'tafford to have better living standards. However, Lena is waiting toreceive a $10,000 check from her late-husbands insurance money. The twomain characters in the play, Mama and Walter, want this money to be usedfor the benefits of the whole family. Even though both of them want tobenefit the family, each one has a different idea of what to do with themoney and how to manage it to benefit everyone.

Walter Lee, like his father want's his family to have a better lifeand want's to invest the money in a liquor store.

Walter want's the moneyso that he can prove that he is capable of making a future for his family.

By doing well in business Walter thinks that he can buy his familyhappiness. Walter has dreams. Dreams he most likely got from his father.

Dreams of better life for his family and himself. A dream of financialsecurity and comfortable living. Ruth, on the other hand is stable and downto earth. She doesn't make rash choices to accommodate a dream. She willjust make do with what she has. Mama is a loving person, she is wise butlives in the past. She is happy to have her family with and be safe fromsociety. She thinks that money is not something that makes a family happy.

Besides dreams Walter also has a husbands responsibilities whichare universally thought of as being able to support his family and raisehis children...